


Chin Up Kiddo

by notsocleverwriter



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bullying, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reddie, Stenbrough, steddie friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 08:43:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14161056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notsocleverwriter/pseuds/notsocleverwriter
Summary: Stan comes to Eddies aid and finds out things he had never known about his smallest friend.





	Chin Up Kiddo

**Author's Note:**

> There is multiple ships mentioned in this but the main focus is Stan and Eddie’s friendship. I don’t think there’s fiction about these two as friends and I wanted to write something different

Stan sat beside Bill, his hand encased in his as they watched the football players scrimmage. It was a warm day, the September chill was late to Derry this year and Stan found that this kept everyone in a rather joyful mood. He looked up to his boyfriend and smiled, admiring his chiseled jaw and deep blue eyes. He was perfect, so absolutely perfect that he still, even after six months of dating, had butterflies in his stomach every time they touched.

The other losers laid lazily around them, admiring Mike as he was pitted against his own team. Stanly watched him walk to the sideline, waving up to his friend’s enthusiastically. They waved back, and Richie even cat called.

“Geez Rich, keep those kind of sexual advances for Eddie.” Beverly joked, snuggling closer to Ben’s side. Her boyfriend accepted her weight, throwing his arm around her petite shoulders.

Richie smirked, “I would if he was here.” For the first time that evening Stan noticed the small boy’s absence, he looked to Richie who shrugged, answering his nonverbal question. “He said he’d meet us here, he has gym last period and has to take a shower. You know how he can be.” 

This sufficed for Stan, who melted back into his boyfriend. As time progressed, and the game neared the end he noticed Richie become anxious at his own boyfriends absence, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Bill muttered something about Eddie that Stan couldn’t make out, he turned to ask what he had said when he felt his mobile vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and noticed the text message from the missing loser.

Eddie: I need you to meet me in the boy’s locker room, come alone and don’t tell Richie.

Stan smiled at the text, assuming it a continuation of Eddie’s and Richie’s prank war that had started at the beginning of the semester. Typically, Stan had been one of the main players throughout Richie’s relentless tricks but he honestly refused to pick sides.

Bill noticed the message and smirked, letting go of Stan’s hand. Gently he planted a kiss against his curly hair causing Stan to blush. “Go ahead, I’ll see you after.” Bill whispered in his ear sweetly. It took a few moments to pry himself away from his boyfriend but eventually Stan left the group, telling the others he needed to use the restroom.

The halls of Derry High School were empty. Stan’s heavy footsteps echoed around him and he found himself rather creeped out at the lingering smell of hormonal children. He neared the locker room and smirked, hoping what Eddie had planned was as unrelenting as what Richie had pulled last week. He opened the door, surprised to see the lights were off.

Stan flicked the switch, illuminating the space around him. “Eddie?” He called, looking down all of the isles. As he approached the last row of lockers he felt his stomach twist painfully. He knew this wasn’t right, something was wrong. “Eddie? Are you in here?”

There was a small whispered in response and Stan could just barely make out his own name. He turned towards the last row and froze, his blood running completely cold. There in a heap against the lockers was Eddie, or least a bloody version of Eddie. His bare chest was painted crimson, obviously originating from his nose. Black and blue welts ran along his face, down his neck and across his torso decorating his fragile body. He held a small towel, using it to cover his naked shame.

“What the fuck?” Stan blurted, quickly moving to his friend. Eddie looked at him and offered a broken smile, which only caused Stan to cringe. “Are you okay Eddie?” He muttered, unable to bring himself to touch the battered loser.

“Peachy.” He croaked, leaning his head against the green lockers behind him. “Fucking peachy.”

“What happened to you and is that-“He paused, noticing shimmering particles in the boy’s messy hair. “Glitter?”

Eddie cringed, nodding his head. “Some guys, they caught me in the shower.” He explained, adjusting himself into a better seated position, wincing with every movement. “They beat me pretty bad and doused me with fucking sparkles, can you believe the irony?”

“No, I can’t.” He admitted, frowning at his friend’s dark humor. Eddie rolled his eyes, “I should call Richie.”

“Don’t.” Eddie hissed, suddenly grabbing ahold of Stan’s wrist.

“He needs to-“

“No.” The small boy practically shouted, “Do not call him.”

Stanley flinched at the harsh command, feeling Eddie’s desperate fingers bite into his wrist. He could see fear in the small boy’s eyes but behind that was something else entirely, something that was seldom seen among the losers. “Okay.” Stan whispered, placing his other hand gently against his friend’s tense hold. “Just tell me what you need.”

“They took my bag, it had all of my clothes.”

Stan nodded, pulling himself away from his friend. He went to his own locker and pulled out his gym uniform and his shower shoes. Eddie thanked him, attempting to rise from the floor only to crash back down once his weight had shifted.

Stan had to fight back tears as he helped him to the bench, treating him as if he was made from china. It took everything he not to scream in frustration, instead forcing himself to focus on attending to his wounded friend. Gently they pulled the shirt over his head, almost immediately becoming soaked in his blood. Eddie profusely apologized for this but Stan ignored him as he helped him into the shorts.

“Okay now what?” The taller boy asked, forcing himself to swallow his emotions.

“Did you drive?”

“No but I have Bill’s keys.” He replied, touching his back pocket lightly. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”

Eddie shook his head, “No, my mom would flip shit if I did.”

“Okay well how about my house? My parents are at my cousin’s bar mitzvah out of town, we can go there and get you cleaned up.” Eddie agreed to this, again apologizing for everything that he was asking of him. Stanley frowned, watching the tears stream down his friend’s bruised face. He swallowed the lump in his throat, pulling the almost weightless boy from the bench. Eddie’s arm wrapped around Stan’s shoulder, leaning on him for support.

Although it was a short walk, it took them fifteen minutes to make it to Bills car. Eddie did his best to suppress his discomfort, however every few steps a helpless whimper would squeak through his chest. Out of respect Stan pretended not to hear it, instead focusing the uneven asphalt. They made it to the vehicle and Stan helped his friend into the passenger’s seat, wincing as Eddie dropped his grip on his shirt. He shut the door and made his way around to the other side.

The ignition breathed life into the car, its soft hum being the only noise between them. Stan paused, pulling out his phone. Eddie noticed, suddenly tense. “Who are you-“

“Just Bill.” Stan replied quickly, knowing that his friend was going to ask. “I’m telling him I’m taking his car and that he will need to catch a ride home with Rich or Ben.”

Eddie didn’t say anything else the entire ride, instead he just stared out the window, watching Derry pass them by. They pulled into Stan’s empty drive and he killed the car, looking over to the small frame beside him. “Eddie?” He whispered, afraid of what he was going to ask but the need for it to be answered suffocated him.

“Yeah.” He replied, looking up to him.

“Why don’t you want to call Richie? He would be able to take care of you a lot better than me.”

Eddie shifted in his seat, uncomfortable tension growing in the air. He took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly and a bit staggered. “They guys who-“He paused, motioning to his face. Stan nodded, understanding. “They did it because of something Richie said. They targeted me on purpose.”

Stan felt the air leave his lungs. His heart cracked loudly and he was almost sure that Eddie could have heart it. “I don’t understand, if it was something Richie did then why come after you.”

He could see tears in the small boy’s eyes as he looked away, ashamed of himself. “Because I’m small, weak and going after Richie is like going after a jackrabbit.” It was meant to be a joke, Stan knew this but he didn’t find any humor in the situation. “Richie says things, and it’s not his fault, not one bit. People who take his humor the wrong way know that they can get to him by going through me. In fact it’s the easiest way because when it comes to me, he is so impulsive. If he would have found me instead of you, he would have gone after them and gotten himself killed Stan.”

Stan didn’t reply, gripping onto the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He shook his head, biting back the tears that filled his vision. Eddie gently placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, causing him to jump slightly. “I texted you because you are the calmest, most composed person I know and that’s what I needed. I’m sorry to put this on you, and I know your more Richie’s friend than mine, but I just thought you were the only person who would remotely understand.”

Stan understood. He understood a million times over and that’s what made him even more broken. Even though Richie was seen as the strong one in his and Eddie’s relationship, Stan knew that that just wasn’t the case. Eddie’s strength wasn’t physical and just by looking at his small stature you would assume he was the weakest of the group when in fact, he was the strongest person of them all. “Okay.” Stan finally muttered, opening his car door. “Let’s get you inside.”

They didn’t speak to one another much, a thank you from Eddie as Stan handed him a pair of fresh clothes and a mumbled response when the smaller boy left to take a much needed shower was their only exchange. Stan was relieved to be alone, left with his thoughts. He was overwhelmed with the situation and could feel his obsessive compulsion crawl just under his skin.

There was a vibration from his pocket and he pulled out his phone to notice Richie’s stupid face plastered on his incoming call. Stan heard the shower turn on across the hall and with a deep sigh he rejected it. He knew that Richie was being ignored by his boyfriend and that was why he was calling him but he still felt dirty snubbing his friend. That was until the second call came in, again Richie. Stan groaned and ignored it, repeating the action with the third and fourth calls.

Stan grumbled, laying on his bed he stared at his phone, watching the calls roll in. Then they stopped, and a sense of relief washed over the curly haired boy. A few moments passed and he felt the all too familiar buzzing of his phone, only this time Bill’s face appeared across his screen.

With a smile he answered, “Hey babe.”

“Is he with you?” It wasn’t Bill. The deeper and much angrier voice sent Stan’s stomach to the floor.

“Is who with me?”

“I’m not in the mood for games Stan. Is Eddie with you or not?”

Stan looked over to the bathroom door, still hearing the shower run. “Yeah. I have him. “

“What the fuck is going on?” Richie sneered into the phone, “Why is no one answering and why in the hell did I need to use Bill’s phone for you to take my call!”

“It was Eddie’s idea, he didn’t want you to-to-“He paused, knowing that it wasn’t his place to explain. Richie was his best friend but he had a responsibility to the boy in his care.

“Did I do something wrong? Is this supposed to be a fight?”

“No.”

“Is he hurt? God, please tell me he isn’t hurt.”

Stan didn’t answer, finally hearing the water turn off in the bathroom. He could practically feel Richie’s heavy breath through the phone, begging for the validation that his boyfriend was okay. Stan knew he couldn’t answer and he refused to lie. “I’m on my way.” Richie’s voice cut harshly.

A panic spread through Stan, “No. Richie please don’t come over. Eddie will call you when-“But the line went dead before he could finish.

“He’s on his way isn’t her?” Stan looked up from his phone and noticed the small boy, the spare clothes hanging awkwardly from his small body.

“I’m sorry.”

Eddie shook his head, “There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for Stan. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me today, Richie was bound to find his way here.”

There was a faint smile on Stan’s face, feeling his heart swell in his chest. “I would do anything for a friend.” He replied honestly, “And you’re as good as they come Eddie.”

Richie arrived exactly four minutes later, bursting through the front door unannounced, Bill in tow. Eddie waited for him in Stan’s room, sitting on his bed and fidgeting with his oversized shirt. The moment Richie laid eyes on his boyfriend he broke, dropping to his knees in front of him. Eddie tried to sooth him but the sobs ripped through the trashmouth violently.

“It’s okay Rich.” Eddie whispered as his boyfriend buried his face into his lap. The small boy ran his fingers through Richie’s frizzy hair, breathing sweet nothings into him. Richie’s apologies soon came, he repeated them over and over again until his voice was horse.

“I never thought I would ever see Richie like this.” Stan looked beside him, noticing his boyfriend for the first time. He smiled, accepting a gentle peck on the cheek. 

Stan shook his head, appreciating his friend who now had his face in his boyfriend’s hair. “Let’s leave them alone for a minute.” He whispered, pulling Bill out of the room and closing the door.

They started down the stairs, Bill close on his heels. “Do you think Eddie will be okay?“

Stan replied honestly, feeling a sense of pride grow in his belly. “Eddie is the strongest person I know Bill. He will be fine.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”


End file.
